Whether you’re looking for delicious meat-free Monday recipes or new easy dinner ideas, give these authentic Sri Lankan patties a try. They’re delicious hot or cold, served as part of a curry night or a picnic, and a great recipe to get kids cooking.

Recipe and image from Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka by Bree Hutchins, Published by Murdoch Books, RRP: $49.99

Sri Lankan patties are unlike the ones I’m used to; these are deep-fried pastry parcels filled with curried vegetables, similar to a samosa. Vigneshwaran wrapped up a few patties for me to eat on the drive back to Jaffna, but we only made it down the road before they were all gone.

1. To make the filling, heat the coconut oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the cabbage, dried chillies, shallots, fennel seeds, chilli powder, turmeric, curry leaves and rampe; cook for 5 minutes, or until the shallots are golden brown. Add the salty water and remove from the heat. Stir in the mashed potato until well combined. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. To make the dough, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Using your hands, mix in the coconut oil, then gradually add the milk, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Continue to work the dough until it is soft and pliable; you may need to add a little water (up to 4 tablespoons). Shape the dough into a large ball and rub with a little extra coconut oil.

3. Roll out half the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3 mm thick. Cut out 10 cm circles with a pastry cutter or glass. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each circle and fold in half. Use your fingers to press the edges together, brushing the edge of the dough with a little water if necessary. Re-roll the offcuts and use as well. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. Fill a wok one-third full of oil and heat to approximately 180°C (a cube of bread dropped into the oil will brown in 15 seconds). Deep-fry the patties in batches for 2–3 minutes until crisp and golden, turning them over halfway through cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve hot or cold.

In New York for Fashion Week I popped into celebrity chef Scott Conant’s West Village restaurant Scarpetta for a plate of his (in)famous tomato basil pasta. It’s so good and so easy (and makes the most of late summer tomatoes and basil) I had to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

30 fresh plum tomatoes, peeled and seeds

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 1/2 pounds dried spaghetti

1 tablespoon butter

24 basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method
1. To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Ease about five tomatoes in the pot and cook, let boil for about 15 seconds, and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water. (Do this with the remaining tomatoes.) Pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. If the skin sticks, try a vegetable peeler using a gentle sawing motion. Cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds.

2. To cook the tomatoes: In a wide pan, heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until quite hot. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and season lightly with the salt and pepper. (Conant says, “I always start with a light hand with the salt and pepper because as the tomatoes reduce, the salt will become concentrated.”)

3. Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. Then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. Cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. (You can make the sauce, which yields about 3 cups, ahead of time. Refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.)

4. To serve: Bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive. (If the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta cooking liquid to adjust it.) Take the pan off of the heat and toss the butter, basil, and cheese with the pasta in the same manner (the pasta should take on an orange hue) and serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the sweet potatoes onto an oven tray, and bake for 50-60 minutes, until tender (test with a pointed knife in the side). Remove from the oven, and when cool enough to handle, cut in half horizontally.

Scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1 cm in the skin. Mash the sweet potato with a fork, and add the corn, tuna and parsley. Stir in the eggs, and
season to taste. Place the sweet potato shells onto an oven tray lined with non-stick baking paper.

Spoon the mixture into the sweet potato shells (if the shells are very soft, prop the sides with a little folded foil). Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for 25 minutes, until set and golden. Serve immediately, with salad or steamed green vegetables.

Tips:

• Any leftover filling can be put into a greased ovenproof ramekin and baked alongside the sweet potatoes. If you like, use tuna in chilli oil.

Reality bitesGarlic Potatoes with Spicy Salsa Potatoes are versatile and nutritious. They can be baked, boiled, steamed, fried or mashed. This dish uses baked potatoes that are seasoned and baked again. Potatoes are a great source of potassium, fibre and complex carbohydrates. They may also help people with arthritis and rheumatism because they neutralise body acid.

Lavash Pizza Lavash flat bread is available from large supermarkets and health food stores. This pizza is delicious and filling. It can be eaten hot or as a warm snack.

2 wholemeal lavash flat brads

4 tablespoons tomato paste

Tabasco scauce to taste

4 white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 ripe vine-ripened tomato, thinly sliced

1 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat over to 220C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper and top with flat breads. Spread the flat breads with the tomato paste. Sprinkle with Tabasco and top with mushrooms, onion, tomato slices and the grated cheese. Bake the pizza for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Cut pizza into quarters and serve at once. Makes 2 serves.